People recently released from jail are more likely to die from an overdose in Travis County

Compared with other residents of Travis County, people recently released from jail — no matter how long they were incarcerated — are eight times more likely to die of a drug overdose, data collected by the county show.

"It wouldn't be the correct takeaway from this data that incarceration causes this. It's one of the factors of people who die from drug overdoses," County Commissioner Brigid Shea said. "The really big message is: There's a huge need for additional services for people who are struggling with addiction, especially when they get released from jail."

The findings come as Travis County has dealt with a steady increase in accidental overdose deaths in the past couple of years, driven largely by the synthetic opioid fentanyl. In both 2021 and 2022, overdoses were the No. 1 cause of accidental deaths in the county. Last year, 417 people died of an accidental overdose in the county, and 89 of them had spent some time in jail.

More: Fentanyl-related overdoses grow tenfold from 2019; Travis County leaders work to find solutions

For that reason, the Commissioners Court began looking at the number of people who died of an accidental overdose after a period of incarceration by pulling the jail booking numbers from 2021 and 2022.

While the number is particularly high compared with those who haven't been incarcerated in the county, it follows a national trend of high overdose deaths for people who recently had been in jail. Additionally, people suffering from mental health issues or homelessness were driving forces behind the number of deaths.

More: Austin Public Health gets $2 million in federal money to fight fentanyl overdoses

County officials presented the data, along with some possible solutions, at a news conference Tuesday after receiving a presentation of the data during the commissioners' regular meeting.

Researchers found that 27% of the people who died of an overdose after being released from jail had been flagged for some type of mental health screening. And nearly 39% who died after a jail stay were homeless.

In Washington state, researchers found that those recently released from jail were 129 times more likely to die of an overdose.

More: Texas Gov. Abbott signs law allowing murder prosecution for fentanyl distribution deaths

Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez said another staggering fact is that a high number of the people who die within two months after being released from jail were there for less than 10 days.

She said the sheriff's office does provide resources to people suffering from a drug addiction, but those resources vary based on how long you're in jail. She added that due to stigma and concerns depending on their charges, people are hesitant to say that they're addicted to drugs.

Hernandez said when people leave jail they receive Narcan, an overdose-reversing nasal spray, along with instructions on how to use it and resources for help. However, many people who use drugs such as fentanyl are typically using them alone, and Narcan must be administered by another person.

More: Half a fentanyl-laced pill kills local teen, enough to bring its Austin seller to justice

County Judge Andy Brown said a mental health diversion center, which the county has begun taking steps to open, would be useful in situations like this to better understand the health needs of individuals.

Brown also said harm reduction measures, such as the use of fentanyl strips, would help this issue and called on the Legislature to legalize them in a special session. State legislators were poised to legalize fentanyl testing strips during the regular session, but the bill never got past the Senate.

More: Treatment or enforcement? Record fentanyl deaths spark new debate over war on drugs

Nicholas Yagoda, chief medical officer with CommUnityCare, a health provider that serves uninsured or underinsured people, said that to ramp up help, the county needs to do five things:

• Expand access to Narcan and other medical substance use treatments, such as methadone.

• Use harm reduction measures such as fentanyl strips to ensure drug users are receiving the drugs they intended to buy.

• Remove the stigma surrounding addiction and substance abuse treatments.

• Center the solutions on the voices of the people who have lived these experiences.

• Understand that these numbers are people who died, and the community needs a place to mourn those deaths.

"When treated, opioid use disorders most often get better," Yagoda said. "People can flourish when they have access to no barrier, nonjudgmental, comprehensive care."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: In Travis County, you are more likely to die of an overdose after jail